


give a man a fish

by Darkfromday



Series: The Last Kings of Lucis [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Noct gets to fish!, Regis is a pretty good dad, mostly peaceful AU, who's ready for King and Oracle hangouts!?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-01 03:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18327584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkfromday/pseuds/Darkfromday
Summary: 13-year-old Noctis travels back to Tenebrae with his father.





	give a man a fish

**Author's Note:**

> **side A** | [side B](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468673)

"Are we there yet?"

Regis Lucis Caelum, 113th King of Lucis and the surrounding territories, sighs and kneads his forehead.

This is probably the fourth time Noctis has asked how close they are in less than two hours—but what else is he supposed to do? He's  _excited_. They're almost  _there_ and it's been  _years_ since he's been and—

Ignis saves him from answering with a brief chuckle. "Not quite, but nearly," he says. "Hold it in just a little bit longer, Noct."

"But I'm  _bored_ ," Noctis whines. "The guards won't even let us go above deck! If I could at least look out at the water—"

"You would be a target, in international waters," his father chides him. "You know our trips across the sea are a secret for a reason; we are still at war. It is best if the public is not aware of our absence from Insomnia until we have already arrived in Tenebrae."

Sulking, the prince slumps back into his lightly-rocking seat. A glance over at Ignis shows him that his longtime retainer and friend looks oddly relieved—and a little green, outside of his eyes. _Oh... i_ _s he seasick?_

Well. Noct might be selfish sometimes, but he hates for any of his people to suffer. If he has to sit on his hands a little longer to keep Ignis well and make that vein in his dad's forehead smooth itself out, he... will try.

"Okay then... Iggy! Wanna play King's Knight?"

"Certainl—" Ignis begins; but the King cuts him off.

"Quietly, please, you two. And Noctis, be sure to practice proper official greetings with Ignis before we arrive."

 _...Great_.

 

 

Umbra had delivered the letters two weeks ago.

One addressed to the King, from Queen Sylva of Tenebrae—a woman Noct barely remembers. And the other letter was from Luna, sent in place of the notebook they usually preferred for private conversations.

 

_Dear Prince Noctis:_

 

_It is my pleasure as princess of Tenebrae to invite you to visit our grand state once more. Though it has been some time since your last visit, both yourself and His Majesty the king made a lasting positive impression on our family and our people—particularly after rescuing my mother._

_The sylleblossoms burned in the fire have nearly all recovered. If you are amenable, I would be happy to show them to you again._

_I look forward to your answer posthaste._

 

_Warmly,_

 

_HRH Lunafreya Nox Fleuret_

_Crown Princess of Tenebrae_

 

_P.S. What do you think? Did that sound formal enough?_

 

The postscript made Noct grin almost as much as his father's confirmation that they would indeed set out for Tenebrae as soon as possible. It had been long enough that a meeting of states was not out of the question—and a reunion of the Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret houses was even more reasonable.

"You'd better stay out of trouble," Gladio had warned on the last day before their departure. He wasn't pleased with being left behind in the name of secrecy, and his displeasure came out in the form of ever more brutal training sessions. Two days past, Noct had been thrown completely over his Shield's shoulder and landed so hard on his back that he forgot how to breathe.

"Nothing's gonna happen," he'd said dismissively, throwing some freshly-laundered formal wear in his travel bag. "I'll be fine."

"Like you were _fine_ last time?"

" _Gladio_ ," Ignis admonished from the kitchen, as Noctis had scowled and looked down. "That was five years ago. And while the situation was far beyond ideal, Noct handled himself as well as any eight-year-old boy could be expected to. The casualties could have been much worse."

Gladio had huffed. "I still think I should be going instead. Or at least Dad. To leave  _both_ Shields behind again..."

"You'll have to take it up with His Majesty," Ignis had replied smoothly.

Noct, meanwhile, couldn't resist one last jab: "And anyway, you were eleven the first time I went. You really think my dad would've risked your safety that young?"

"Uh,  _yeah_. Because it's kind of my job."

"Well,  _now_ it's your job to make sure Uncle Ardyn doesn't burn down Insomnia or ruin our trade agreements. Or get alcohol poisoning with all the wine he drinks with the Crownsguard. Or suffer  _actual_ poisoning."

It was Gladio who scoffed dismissively that time. "Haven't you seen him fight? He'll be just fine. Definitely doesn't need me and Dad hovering around him."

"He also has enough power and experience to talk circles around the Council, Noct, as we've seen before. It's rather a shame he isn't coming with us to Tenebrae."

"Said it didn't sound appealing to him," Noctis had mumbled as he zipped the bag and cast it (and Ignis') into the Armiger. Queen Sylva's letter to King Regis had extended Tenebrae's invitation to all the living Lucis Caelum members, but Ardyn alone had demurred. In fact, to his eyes, Lucis' archduke and general hell-raiser had lost interest in travelling outside the country the moment he learned Noctis would be going along.

 

 

"Land ho!" their vessel's captain calls in the middle of Noct and Iggy's fourth 'practice dinner'. Noct is so excited he nearly knocks his adviser's glasses right off his face.

 _"Finally!_ _"_   he exclaims; then Regis' hand lands hard on his shoulder, and he blushes, adding: "Sorry, Iggy."

"Quite all right. At least they didn't go for a swim."

The ship pulls smoothly into port as they chatter. Noctis has enough time to straighten his formal wear, and then have it  _re-_ straightened by Ignis, before the hatch opens and he must follow his father into the light.

One of their attendants snaps to attention as they approach the gangplank, and clears his throat as he turns to a small group Noct can't yet see.

"Announcing—His Majesty King Regis of Lucis, His Royal Highness Prince Noctis of Lucis, and Lord Ignis Scientia of Lucis!"

Regis smiles his special smile, the one reserved for when he is among friends or trusted confidants. Although they are far from home, Tenebrae has always been a second source of power and comfort for the kings of Lucis, despite Niflheim's best attempts to change that. He strides confidently off the ship and toward their audience, the source of that power and comfort: the Nox Fleuret royal family.

A stern-looking woman stands right at the waterfront; when her eyes meet the king's, however, her face softens and she curtseys, leaning most of her weight on a silver staff in her left hand. "Regis," she greets warmly. "Welcome back to Tenebrae."

"Queen Sylva." The king bows once he is standing across from them. "I am honored to be invited back. I hope this means there are no hard feelings concerning—"

"There are none, I assure you. Isn't that right, my dears?"

Sylva Via Fleuret turns to the people standing to her right and left—as he steps onto Tenebraen soil too, Noct immediately recognizes Ravus and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Prince and Princess of Tenebrae... two people he hasn't seen in person since Niflheim made an attempt on all their lives five years ago. Ravus looks calm and unruffled, though his eyes dart right and left on occasion as though checking the guards' positions; meanwhile, Lunafreya seems upbeat, and her focus is solely on their guests.

Still, the question inspires some anxiety in Noct, and he tenses, expecting the worst. Even when both of the queen's children voice their agreement, he can't quite make himself relax.

By contrast, Regis doesn't show his feelings about this revelation on his face. But he does warmly and respectfully greet both Nox Fleuret children, offering each kind words as he kisses Lunafreya's hand and shakes Ravus'.

"Well met, Your Highnesses, Your Majesty. I'm sure you remember my son, Noctis?"

 _That's my cue_. Picking his way carefully across the sand and rocks, Noctis steps forward to stand beside his father, and exchanges the necessary bows and addresses with Queen Sylva ("Noctis, how good to see you looking well!") and Ravus ("Well met, Prince Noctis."). Just as he bows to match Lunafreya's curtsy and they smile at one another, he hears the unmistakable sound of Ignis caught off guard—a grunt of surprise and dismay. He turns, and Ignis is falling forward a few feet away.

_Shit, Iggy!_

He reaches for something to throw, _anything_ so he can catch his friend—but a white-and-purple blur breezes past him as he steps forward and readies the magic to warp.

"Oh dear—" Queen Sylva begins, and then smiles.

"Ignis!"

"I'm all right," Ignis assures his prince and his audience. Ravus Nox Fleuret is holding him up, having caught him just in time to save his formal wear and his pride. Although Noct's fifteen-year-old retainer is hardly disturbed by anything these days, the blush on his face is telling, as is his unusual willingness to be brushed off and assisted. "I must thank you, Prince Ravus, for saving me a nasty fall."

"No thanks needed," Ravus returns. He was never one to emote openly, but he almost looks _amused_  as he ensures that Ignis is on his feet before returning to his place at his mother's right.

"Well, that's just enough excitement for the morning, yes?" Sylva's smile remains gentle, so the Lucians will know she isn't mocking them. "Shall we proceed to the palace?"

Regis looks Ignis over, and nods once he likes what he sees. "Indeed we shall."

 

 

Lucian and Tenebraen guards alike mingle as they settle into place around the royal family and their corresponding retainers, but Noctis hardly notices the shuffling. As the six of them make their way to Fenestala Manor, they fall into natural couples to speak further: at the front of the procession, his father walks in step with the queen, discussing border security and other topics he can't hear; to his left, Ignis keeps pace with Ravus, who has noted his accent and is asking him about his family's country of origin; and Noct himself walks with the future Oracle, who in the absence of formality is now just Luna, one of his closest friends.

"How is Umbra doing?"

"Sleeping on Cor's feet," Noct chuckles. "At least, when we left he was. I'm surprised he's not here already, but then again..."

"He loves to take his time," Luna finishes. "Just like you."

"Hey!"

She laughs at how indignant he sounds, and he has to relent. It's been a long five years; he can't even  _pretend_ to stay mad at her.

"Will you have time to read the old stories, while you're here?" she asks next.

"What, the... Cosmogony ones? Yeah..." To his credit, he doesn't stumble over the word anymore. "I'll make time. After all, aren't some of the stories about us?"

Luna nods. There's still not much they can read, from what he's gathered from their notebook messages—much of the text is in Old Solheimr, of which even Luna's mother knows very little, and some of it they're not allowed to read at all. But even so, mentions of the Chosen King and the Oracle litter the latter half of pages; it's not hard to assume their destiny is grand and their importance huge.

Just ahead of them, the queen sidesteps a hole in the dirt with her staff and it catches Noct's eye. "How's your mother doing...?" he asks quietly.

"She fares well." Luna's gaze is compassionate. "Ravus and I help her, when we can... and of course, Gentiana lends her aid where _she_ can."

It's hard to look up at her—and not just because she's taller. At seventeen, Luna looks very much like her mother, and Noctis can't maintain eye contact with the queen for long without remembering how she looked five years ago: tall and proud among the sylleblossoms, holding him close and wielding holy magic with the Oracle's trident, before the two of them were attacked by General Glauca of Niflheim. How she still curled herself around his useless self as the vile man slashed at her back, how she cried out in pain as Glauca readied his greatsword for a fatal blow...

He startles. The flowers are gone. They're at the palace doors, and Luna has taken his hand.

"Breathe, Noctis. It's all right. Only a memory."

He didn't even realize he wasn't breathing right.

It takes effort to follow her instructions. Ignis subtly takes his other hand and squeezes it, though, which helps a lot in calming him down, grounding him in the present day.

Luna shares a look with Ravus over the younger boys' heads, and he nods and steers the four of them into one of Fenestala's guest foyers, tasking a housemaid with passing their location on to the king and queen. Ignis lets go of Noct to embark on a brief quest for water, only to be pushed back into sitting next to his charge by the elder prince. Meanwhile, Luna whispers to Noct until his eyes quit glazing over.

"I'm sorry," he says—but can't tell whether he's addressing Ignis or Luna.  _If it wasn't for me..._

"Do not apologize for saving our mother."

Noct blinks up at Ravus. The man's tone is brusque, but not unkind; true to his word, his icy blue eyes hold no reproach.

"I was closest to the fires, and my memory of the day is no doubt sharper than yours. Niflheim's soldiers had us surrounded, trapped between them and the flames. Many of our own soldiers had perished. You and your father were separated, and still he tasked himself with getting Lunafreya and myself out of danger... while our mother found and defended you. It was only honorable that you used what fledgling ability you had to defend her in return."

"I almost failed." Noctis lets go of Luna's hand and leans forward, wishing he could get on his knees in front of her, in front of Ravus, without shaming his family with such an informal and unsatisfactory apology. "I'd never pulled so much magic before, I couldn't even walk, and I was hurting and scared and...  _you almost lost your mother because of me_."

"Noct..." Ignis murmurs sadly.

He shakes his head, hardly hearing, and hardly willing to heed what he _does_ hear.

But Ravus is right. The day Niflheim attacked, they had burned most of the sylleblossom gardens in a ring to trap the Tenebraens and their Lucian guests. Had things gone differently, Sylva could have been killed while her children, Regis and Noctis might have been forced to flee. But the Niffs and their enemies alike had discounted one unpredictable element: Noctis himself.

Just as General Glauca had brought his sword down to kill Queen Sylva, Noct had screamed, in a heady mixture of despair and denial, and inadvertently summoned his magic. A glittering silver shield had curved over the two, and the instant Glauca's greatsword hit it he was blasted thirty feet backwards into the flames. The other MTs that attempted to break through the tiny barrier were then repulsed by Ravus himself, who had been charging in vain toward his mother before his formidable opponent was removed from play.

Even though Noct's shield had given the remaining Tenebraen soldiers time to regroup and take the queen away for treatment—even though Regis himself had lent his magic to the task of her recovery—she had still barely survived the night.  _And if I'd been older and stronger, she never would have been hurt in the first place._

The silver staff she now wields as cane and weapon both are a harsh reminder of his inexperience.

Another purple-white blur of movement signifies Ravus moving to kneel in front of Noctis, pinning him with his gaze.

"What...?"

"Hear this, Noctis, for I will not repeat it again. Our mother's life was at risk, and you saved it. Whether by accident or by the gods' design, she remains with us to this day... and we are both grateful to you for it."

"He speaks true," Luna adds. "Noctis, please believe us."

Ravus rises gracefully. "You were invited here to rest and take in the best of Tenebrae. That is best done without burdening yourself with unnecessary guilt, yes?"

He says this last part so gently that Noctis feels his eyes sting; but he nods his agreement and manages to murmur, "Yeah... thanks, Ravus."

"Enough with the unneeded thanks. Catch up with my sister—I have business to attend to."

Ignis stands up too as the Tenebraen prince turns to leave. "Your Highness, a moment."

"Yes, Lord Scientia?"

"Ah... just Ignis is fine." The adviser adjusts his glasses. "Could you spare some time to escort me to the nearest kitchens? I find nearly falling on my face has roused my appetite."

"...I will make time," Ravus says, lifting one bright blond eyebrow as he leads Noct's friend away.

Luna holds her chuckle in until the double doors have closed behind them.

"Iggy must be really torn up about that trip," Noct tells her. "Not that he's rude, but he hardly  _ever_ eats anyone else's stuff nowadays..."

"I'm sure the incident is long out of his mind. More likely, he wanted to give us the chance to speak alone."

His face heats. "...Oh, yeah."

"Don't beat yourself up, Noctis. Tell me about your new friend!"

_New friend?_

"You swore you would show me your pictures from school," Luna prods. "Surely you didn't forget?"

_Oh, right!_

A light bulb sparks to life in his brain; Noct pulls the promised photos out of his Armiger with a flick of the wrist, and fumbles through them to find the relevant ones. All the excitement of arriving had almost thrown the other boy out of his head entirely.

"Right, here—this is Prompto Argentum. He's in my class and we met last week..."

 

 

Prompto's ears probably burn all that afternoon.

The two of them speak for hours, sharing lunch and all the minutiae of their separate lives which their notebooks have no space to cover: new foods, new royal responsibilities, new combat training, and new friends. Once Noctis finishes extolling _his_ new friend's virtues ("Everyone at the Citadel likes him, Luna!  _Everyone_."), he and Luna shift gears physically and verbally. They move upstairs to her chambers to retrieve the Cosmogony and discuss the mysterious prophecy of the Chosen King, which neither of their parents have been especially forthcoming on.

"So, only I can bring Light back to Eos." Noct traces the tiny tapestry that he recognizes from the Citadel's atrium. "Isn't it pretty light out already? And both our lines have the light of magic. What could it mean?"

Luna is sitting at her window. She only half-turns to respond, so that her companion will hear her words and not the courtyard. "It means the kind of Light which is necessary to combat the long, unchanging Darkness. Light which drives away the Night."

_Drives away the night...?_

"Oh!" Noct snaps his fingers. "The sun. The kind of light that drives away nighttime is sunlight!" His brows furrow, though, right after he realizes this. "Only the Chosen King can bring the Light back... so does that mean the sun will go away someday?"

"It... seems plausible," Luna says. She bites her lower lip.

"Okay... but what does all that have to do with the scourge? You know, the part where it says  _the True King will purge our star of its scourge._ Eos is our star, but how can darkness cover a whole star?"

"You have seen one example with your eyes already, Noctis. The daemon whose attack first brought you here is as clear a manifestation of darkness and scourge as any other."

He puts the book down, the better to gesture with his hands. "Are you saying that daemons like...  _that_... are going to be everywhere in the world soon?"

Luna whispers, "If they aren't already—then, yes. And only the Oracle's light can hold them back."

"And what about the connection between this 'Darkness' and the 'scourge'? What  _is_ the scourge, anyw—"

Three hard  _knocks_ resound from Lunafreya's partially-open bedroom door. As she rises to greet their visitor, he pushes the door open and steps through anyway, with Ignis behind him.

"Forgive me, Princess," Regis says, before shifting the sharp attention of his green eyes to his son. "Noct, are we not on vacation? Now is hardly the time to question the words and ways of the gods."

Noct's face flushes. "But—"

"You speak true, Your Majesty," Luna says quietly, looking a little pink in the cheeks herself, though from shame and not upset. "I apologize—it is not our place to seek knowledge it is not yet time to have."

"No need for that, my dear. I would rather our trip here be a pleasant one for all parties, that is all."

Noct wants to call bullshit on that, because it seems like  _every single time_ he seeks more information on his title as this 'Chosen King' or clarification of the prophecy wherein he saves the world, his father is close by to chide and delay him. But one does not tell the King of Lucis that he's spouting bullshit. Even his mild-mannered father would probably take pleasure in having Ignis wash his mouth out with soap.

Judging from the  _just try me_ expression Ignis has right now as he stares Noct down scowl and all, he knows his adviser would take pleasure in it too.

Rather than argue or show his irritation, then, the young prince gets to his feet and smooths down Luna's bedcovers. "What's up?"

"A trivial interest," Ignis assures him, stepping forward and bowing. "Princess Lunafreya, I confess that your dishes here in Tenebrae have dazzled me. There are a few recipes that both Noct and myself have enjoyed in the past which I thought to take back to Lucis once we return. If you were in agreement...?"

Luna brightens. "Of course! I'm sure I can locate recipes for sweets as well."

The two of them quickly fall into conversation about food and spices. Noct doesn't even have time to sulk at how effortlessly Ignis borrowed Luna's attention before his dad is leaning in to whisper to him: "I must say I'm impressed with you, Noctis."

"Huh? What for?"

"Well, one of the reasons we came to Tenebrae was to avail ourselves of the different kinds of fish. We have been here three hours and you've yet to mention the lakes or gravitate toward them—"

"We can  _fish_ now? Right now? From the palace or the land nearby?" Noct's mind almost implodes.  _Wait, where's the lakes? How far from Fenestala? Should I bring Luna along and teach her how to fish? What if it's too hot for the fish to_ —

Regis chuckles. "Yes, we can fish right now. Perhaps we should leave Ignis and Luna to their cuisine appreciation and set off to bring them back a large topic of conversation...?"

Noctis beats him out of the bedroom door and down the stairs.

 

 

There's a very subtle lake at the edges of Zoldara Henge. The air around it is quiet, the surroundings peaceful, and the fish plentiful enough that Noct even sees them flipping occasionally out of the water in the middle of the water.

The fishing reel he received from his father for his last birthday hovers close in the Armiger, and it only takes a quick yank to manifest it in the physical world. Though it's still unnamed as of yet, it is still as shiny and polished as it was the day he unwrapped it. Noct grins as he lifts it, swishes and flicks the line out as far as he can.

"You made it here even faster than I anticipated."

"Whoa—!" He jumps and spins so fast he almost pinwheels backward into the water. "Dad, you scared the—"

"I gathered," Regis chuckles. Most of his regalia is missing, but it's his missing cape more than the casual clothing or absent jewelry that stands out; without the flowing black "secondary crown" he so often wears, he appears diminished to Noctis' eyes, even with the silver half-crown still firmly in place on his head. In the pointed golden light of late afternoon, it's impossible not to notice that Regis' hair, once nearly a uniform black with slivers of silver, now boasts two symmetrical gray lines on either side of his face. As he approaches the dock, the Ring of the Lucii pulses subtly in reaction to both of them.

The Ring reminds Noctis that he needs to determine who he's dealing with right now: his father or the King. More formally he says, "Did something come up at Fenestala...?"

"Fear not. Our presence isn't required until dinner." So declaring, the King summons a fishing reel of his own with a more elegant flourish than his son's. "I think that's plenty of time to bring the Lady Sylva and her children a fish fit for a king, don't you?"

Noct's shoulders unclench. "Yeah, definitely!"

Regis is quick to take the weight off his feet, settling easily next to his son's legs before throwing out his own line. Father and son remain quiet for some time—the only sound which permeates the air is the buzz of distant wasps, the splashing of particularly-fierce fish and the scratchy sound of the line returning to shore and being promptly sent back out.

"Noct, how is Princess Lunafreya?"

The young prince shrugs, embarrassed. "Fine, I guess...? I don't know. What do you mean 'how is she'?"

"Just that. No doubt she has started training to succeed her mother as Oracle and queen in the near future, yes? I thought perhaps you had discussed her plans while you spoke."

"Well..." Noct blushes. He and Luna  _had_ spoken some about their stressful new duties as crown prince and crown princess of their respective countries, but it had by no means dominated their conversation. And the hushed whispers about the prophecy of the Chosen King had focused more on what  _his_ role might involve rather than what the Oracle had to accomplish.

The King seems to read all that on his face with one glance to his left, and he grimaces appropriately. "Noctis... it does not do to appear selfish. Someday, you will learn to ask after your companions' personal welfare, and not let your own duties and importance overshadow your heart."

"Not like I spent all day talking about myself," his son mumbles mulishly, nearly snapping his line as he yanks in a tiny black barrelfish.  _And we talk every few weeks with the notebook anyway. If I was being self-centered, wouldn't Luna tell me?_

A second later he hates himself. _Oh, Six. S_ _he_ wouldn't _tell me. She's too nice._

"Sorry," he says quietly, looking down at his boots. His dad makes a dismissive noise that's probably paired with a hand-wave to let him know he's forgiven for the time being. He might have to apologize to Luna later, though.

They are silent for a few more unimpressive catches.

"You ought to respool your line, lest I catch dinner before you."

"Fat chance!" But Noct hurries to change his line anyway. In the time it takes him, his dad expertly lands a Cygillian sea bass of considerable size.

"Aha! You were saying...?"

 _You cannot disparage the King of Lucis with swears,_ Noct reminds himself for the second time today. His teeth grit of their own accord though, and he has to  _also_ firmly remind himself that he loves fishing with his father,  _really_ loves it, because it is one of the few activities where they are seldom disturbed. The fact that he's a rank amateur at the sport compared to his dad is just something to be ignored for his sanity's sake.

It takes more time, but Noct's determination is rewarded fifteen minutes in: finally,  _finally_ , there's a firm tug on his line.

"Whoa!"

Regis is at his side in an instant, his own reel dismissed for the time being. "Steady, Noct."

"I know."

"Remember, keep the rod in line with the fish. Better to keep the line loose than have it snap entirely."

"I  _got_ it."

Noct feels fidgety, but he tamps it down. His dad's brief shoulder-squeeze helps calm his nerves, and gives him a big confidence boost.  _I've got this. I've really got this._ He weaves with the fish, only reeling the line in when the fish pauses to regain strength. Things look tense for a few seconds in the middle, when the fish rapidly changes direction on him and Noct feels the line whine with the stress, but he imagines Regis' disappointed look if he loses this thing, and keeps his head while continuing to adapt to it.

Patience becomes its own reward after another minute or two: at last he lands a bass of his own, and happily punches the air.

"Yes!"

"Not bad," his father hums as they examine it. He runs one practiced hand along the scales as it flops helplessly on the bank, trying in vain to return to the lake. "I do believe it's the biggest you've caught yet."

"I can do bigger."

Something makes Noct notice the black barrelfish, dark and beautiful and barely hanging on. Its struggles are almost nonstop, though it has at best another half hour before it succumbs. It's so tiny and fierce, though, that he can't help but feel sorry for it. Perhaps it has a school out there awaiting its return, too—a bunch of siblings, or some attendants, or a declining dad and a crabby uncle who are waiting for it to rejoin them in the middle of the lake.

"Noct? What are you thinking?"

He startles, and tries to be as nonchalant as possible when he plucks the barrelfish up and drops it back in the water. "Hmm? Ah, nothing. This lake probably doesn't have a whole bunch of fish in it, is all."

"Hmm, perhaps... and perhaps not. In times past when I visited Tenebrae with my father, we fished together in this very lake. I believe we even managed to bring different species here... enough to keep this lake full for years yet."

"Whoa, really?"

Noct feels bowled over by his father's nod. Mostly because Regis does not spare many words for his father, the late King Mors. Like many of the more recent kings, he had held on long enough to peacefully transfer the crown to his son—still an unusual occurrence for the line of Lucis—but all of Noct's digging has informed him that his grandfather still passed while Queen Aulea was pregnant with him.

He knows better than to inquire further on his mother or grandfather, though, even with an in like this. Either the king will mention them, or Ardyn will, or they'll both keep quiet— _as usual_.

"You mentioned different fish," he ventures instead. "Er, different species. They didn't take over the natural species here, did they?"

"I'm not sure," Regis muses. "Shall we find out...?"

"Yeah."

 

 

Luna spots them first.

"You've returned!" she calls, as soon as the King and Prince approach.

Somewhere beyond the doorway Sylva's voice floats outside: "Hurry in; it is nearly dark."

Ignis and Ravus are standing on either side of Luna—they look relieved and curious, respectively. From the limited amount of lights left on in windows around the palace and the slightly more casual clothing all three are wearing, it is clearly close to dinner time, and no one wanted to start without two-thirds of the guests.

Regis waves with one hand to reassure everyone. His other arm is occupied holding a conjured net of modest catches (his and his son's both), and his eyes are sparkling to rival the peeking stars. The reason for his pride strides with only the slightest limp to his right.

Noctis' mind is otherwise occupied. As he gets close, the waiting party can see his arms are tight around a fish that's at least ten pounds—it flops and wriggles, but his grip doesn't slip at all. The grin on his face is bright enough to bring the sun back.

"A good haul, I presume?" Ignis asks warmly.

"The best! Like we never left home."

Luna steps out into the field to meet them, almost bouncing on her feet with curiosity. "What do you have there, Noctis?"

His prize is a Lucian catfish, absolutely  _non_ -native to these lands and abnormally large besides. It's one of the few fish he recognizes on sight, and one that makes a tasty meal that he's found vaguely comforting in the past during solitary dinners. But as it flops and gleams its murky greenish-yellow in the setting sun, waving those definitive whiskers, Noct thinks of his father's earlier admonishments about being kinder and more considerate to his pen pal. Luna's pale blue eyes twinkle expectantly at him as if waiting for that consideration, and he knows: even if she'd hang on every word, it wouldn't be polite of him to run-down his entire epic battle with the fish, starting with the moment he'd prepped the correct lure. So he grins and decides to keep his answer simple.

With the barest grunt, Noctis stands before her and lifts his catfish up to eye level, presenting it to her like a royal offering.

"Dinner."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> This series was inspired by much better people who wrote and drew much better things than what this will turn out to be.
> 
> [This](http://clave-razon.tumblr.com/post/170472005648/regis-my-you-two-are-adorable-let-me-take-a) is a link to clave-razon's art of Ardyn giving kid!Noct a piggyback ride, which literally sustains me on bad days. They also have a comic of Ardyn and Regis playing chess and talking about training Noct! Please bestow love on them.
> 
> [And this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10069007/chapters/22436318) is a link to Age of Kings by ohmyfae, an AU where everyone in the world knows who Ardyn is and he is revered as a savior (and a troublemaker to those who know him better). I cannot recommend this series enough, and the main idea of Ardyn walking hand in hand with the line of Lucis comes directly from there. Please bestow love on them too.


End file.
